The parable tells of a traveler who is beaten, stripped of his clothes and left half dead by the side of the road. First a priest and then a Levite pass by, but both avoid the man and continue on their way. Finally, a Samaritan comes upon the traveler. Samaritans and Jews despise each other, but the Samaritan helps the injured man.
Jesus is described as telling the parable in response to the question, "And who is my neighbor?" In other words, it is the man who showed mercy to the injured traveler - that is, the Samaritan. Although some read this parable allegorically, it is most often interpreted in an ethical way. The parable has inspired many works of art. The phrase "Good Samaritan," meaning someone who helps a stranger, is often used as a name for hospitals and charitable organizations.
There are three cantatas for this Sunday.
Readings:
Galatians 3:15–22, law and promise
Luke 10:23–37, parable of the Good Samaritan
Cantata Studies:
Bach Cantatas Website | Simon Crouch | Emmanuel Music | Julian Mincham | Wikipedia | Eduard van Hengel (in Dutch) | Bach Companion (Oxford U.P.) | Bach: The Learned Musician (Wolff) | Music in the Castle of Heaven (Gardiner)
[Parable of the Good Samaritan by Balthasar van Cortbemde (1647)]
Cantatas:
- Du sollt Gott, deinen Herren, lieben, BWV 77, 22 August 1723
Coro: Du sollt Gott, deinen Herren, lieben
Recitativo (bass): So muss es sein!
Aria (soprano): Mein Gott, ich liebe dich von Herzen
Recitativo (tenor): Gib mir dabei, mein Gott! ein Samariterherz
Aria (alto): Ach, es bleibt in meiner Liebe
Chorale: Herr, durch den Glauben wohn in mir
"You shall love God, your Lord"
Text & translation
Scored for four vocal soloists, mixed choir, tromba da tirarsi, two oboes, strings and continuo.Cantata based on the parable of the Good Samaritan. The text of the cantata, authored by Johann Oswald Knauer, was published in Gotha in 1720 in Gott-geheiligtes Singen und Spielen. The text closely aligns with the readings, echoing the situation in which the parable was told, specifically referencing a lawyer's inquiry about achieving eternal life. The response, which the lawyer himself had to acknowledge, emphasized the commandment to love God and one's neighbor. This, known as the Great Commandment, serves as the focal point of the first movement. Consequently, the subsequent text is divided into two parts: a recitative and aria addressing the love of God, and a symmetrical section tackling the love of one's neighbor.
The opening chorus is replete with religious and musical symbolism, reflecting the theological underpinnings of both the Old and New Testaments. Trumpets and continuo render Luther's chorale (“Dies sind die heilgen zehn Gebot”), symbolizing the Ten Commandments of the Old Testament. The chorale is presented in a canon, aptly echoing the term's dual meaning of "law". In this canon, the trumpet plays at twice the pace of the bass in its highest register, with symbolically ten entries of the instrument. Against this backdrop, the choir vocalizes the New Testament's theological expansion on the dual imperative of loving God and one's neighbor: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself". The melody to which the choir sings this is ingeniously derived from the canon – the vocal parts are variations of the chorale theme inverted and reversed, likened to "a vast oriental carpet, with the choral music representing the front side and the Old Testament foundation the back".Following a concise secco recitative, the cantata proceeds with a soprano aria ("My God, I love you with all my heart, my entire life depends on you"), accompanied by two obbligato oboes performing delicate thirds in parallel. This simple aria provides a delightful contrast to the contrapuntal intricacies of the opening chorus.
The alto aria ("Ah, in my love there is still nothing but imperfection"), which ensues a second recitative, features a poignant trumpet obbligato, a unique occurrence in Bach's cantatas because this instrument here is employed in a subdued, emotive capacity rather than its typical martial role. Structured as a sarabande, Bach conveys the imperfection of human endeavor to adhere to the law of love by incorporating "awkward intervals" suited for the valveless instrument.
The cantata concludes with a solemn rendition of Luther's chorale "Ach Gott vom Himmel sieh darein."
Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German) - English explanation "Bach Factory" - Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ, BWV 33, 3 September 1724
Coro: Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ
Recitativo (bass): Mein Gott und Richter
Aria (alto): Wie furchtsam wankten meine Schritte
Recitativo (tenor): Mein Gott, verwirf mich nicht
Aria (tenor, bass): Gott, der du die Liebe heißt
Chorale: Ehr sei Gott in dem höchsten Thron
"Towards you alone, Lord Jesus Christ"
Text: anonymous; Chorale "Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ by Konrad Hubert
Scored for three alto, tenor and bass, four-part choir, two oboes, two violins, viola, and basso continuo.
Every year on the thirteenth Sunday after Trinity, the Lutheran Church reads from the Gospel of Luke the parable of the Good Samaritan: a non-Jew who takes pity on a poor, robbed and abused man after he is passed over by two Jewish clergymen who consider serving God to be their core business. It is Jesus' interpretation of the so-called double commandment: "Love God and your neighbor as yourself.
The text by an unknown poet is based on the penitential hymn Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ by Konrad Hubert, printed in Nuremberg in 1540. The hymn, which focuses on the confession of the sinner who is unable to keep the laws ordained by the Lord, is only generally associated with the Gospel readings for that Sunday. The poet kept the words of the first and last stanzas and transformed the two inner stanzas into a series of recitatives and arias. The hymn, with its theme of the repentant sinner, makes only a general reference to the Gospel. The poet deepens the reference in stanza 4, "Give me only out of mercy / the true Christian faith," and in stanza 5, "Grant that I may love my neighbor out of pure instinct / as myself," which echoes the central phrase of the Gospel reading.
A melody for Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ was printed in Wittenberg in 1541 - it may have been written for a secular song by Paul Hofhaimer in 1512. In the cantata, Bach uses it as usual in the chorale fantasy at the beginning and in a four-part movement at the end, and he also alludes to it in the duet (movement 5).
In his first year in Leipzig, Bach had composed Du sollst Gott, deinen Herren, lieben (BWV 77) for the same occasion, beginning with a chorale movement on the crucial commandment to love God and neighbor.
In the opening chorale fantasy, "Allein zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ," the cantus firmus is sung by the soprano, but what catches our attention first and foremost are the expansive ritornellos by the oboes and strings, with an energetic forward thrust through ascending scales that almost eclipse the anthem. It is like a small concerto.
The alto aria "Wie furchtsam wankten meine Schritte" (How fearfully my steps wander, yet Jesus listens to my pleas and leads me to his Father), on the other hand, is quietly accompanied by muted first violins and pizzicato in the other strings, while the fearful, shaky steps appear in syncopated lines - all in a typical "stepping" rhythm. It could be considered a trio sonata for alto, solo violin con sordino and continuo.
A recitative is followed by a duet, "God, who is called love, ignite my spirit," for tenor and bass, accompanied by two oboes playing a duet of their own. It depicts God's love in consonant parallel sixths and thirds, creating a symbolic image of unity. The cantata concludes with a rich, melismatic harmonization of the chorale melody.
Video: J.S. Bach-Foundation (St. Gallen) / Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German) - Ihr, die ihr euch von Christo nennet, BWV 164, 26 August 1725
Aria (tenor, strings): Ihr, die ihr euch von Christo nennet
Recitativo (bass): Wir hören zwar, was selbst die Liebe spricht
Aria (alto, flutes): Nur durch Lieb und durch Erbarmen
Recitativo (tenor, strings): Ach, schmelze doch durch deinen Liebesstrahl
Aria (soprano, bass, flutes, oboes, strings): Händen, die sich nicht verschließen
Chorale: Ertöt uns durch dein Güte
"You, who call yourselves of Christ"
Text & translation
Scored soprano, alto, tenor and bass soloists, four-part choir (only for the closing chorale), two flauto traverso, two oboes, two violins, viola, and basso continuo.
Cantata BWV 164 was first performed in Leipzig on the 13th Sunday after Trinity in 1725. Despite its Leipzig debut, the piece bears resemblance to Bach's earlier Weimar works. With a libretto by Salomo Franck, the absence of an introductory chorus, and delicately orchestrated chamber music, it offers a more intimate reflection on the parable of the Good Samaritan.
The cantata opens with a tender tenor aria ("You who call yourselves Christ, where is your mercy?") set in a gentle 9/8 rhythm. This contrasts with the admonitory text directed at professing Christians for their hardened hearts. Rather than anger, the aria conveys Christ's grief at the hypocrisy of his followers, appealing to the mercy emphasized in the Gospel.
This is followed by a robust bass recitative that continues the theme of urging mercy, referring to the priest and Levite who passed by the robbed and injured traveler in the biblical narrative.
An elegant alto aria ("Only through love and mercy will we become like God himself") follows, accompanied by two exquisite flutes. It depicts the comfort offered by the Good Samaritan, in stark contrast to the negative examples mentioned earlier.
In the following recitative, the believer seeks divine help to practice charity effectively. This leads to a charming duet for soprano and bass, introduced by orchestral accompaniment. The promise of heaven awaits those who believe and practice charity, with forgiveness musically represented by canon-like interactions between treble and bass instruments, symbolizing open hands welcoming heaven, as expressed in the text, "To hands that do not close, heaven will be opened.
The cantata concludes with a simple rendering of the fifth and final verse of Elisabeth Cruciger's hymn "Herr Christ, der einig Gotts Sohn" (1524).
Video: J.S. Bach Foundation (St. Gallen) - Workshop (in German) - Contemplation (in German)